Great Expectations
by cOokIng PoT
Summary: So she got drunk. So he kissed her. Then why does everything seem so messed up suddenly?  KxH
1. Prologue

**Great Expectations**

I am still stuck on STEAM's storyline so I have to leave that aside for a while. Short, multi-chaptered fic! Writing style will be slightly different from the usual stories, and reviews are always appreciated.

Prologue

She wasn't too sure what was happening. The buzz from the alcohol had dulled her senses incredibly, especially after the twins had laden her cocktail upon cocktail. Someone had suggested doing shots and bingo, everyone was wasted from the party.

It was supposed to be a simple post-college meet-up. But knowing the boys (and that boys will always be boys), somebody, presumably Tamaki or Hikaru, suggested doing drinks. And so the entire group had dragged their asses to the poshest bar around Tokyo.

Kyouya had walked into their little gathering at around midnight, just as everyone was getting sloshed. Hunny had long fallen asleep, and Mori was positively gone given how he had to drink on behalf of his cousin. The twins were laughing uncontrollably and Tamaki was being well, Tamaki. Haruhi lolled her head to the side, trying to avoid the love nonsense that he was spouting to her and spotted Kyouya.

"Yo." She raised her hands in mock salute. She missed the elegant raise of eyebrows, pointing behind her at the blonde. "Can you get him to shut up?"

A velvety laugh, how strange she never noticed. Oh, did she actually just say that aloud? Oops. The world was positively spinning. He stepped closer to her, and she caught a whiff of his cologne. Woody, with a hint of citrus… yummy.

"Come, I'll get you back."

"No… I don't wish for my debt to increase."

A chuckle.

"You are forever indebted to me, Haruhi."

"What…." And before she could clarify further, he had hoisted her up and dragged her out of the bar. She protested weakly, but finally let herself be led down. Somewhere, his limousine presumably? She slouched against the expensive black leather seats, her head pressed against the seat. Ugh.

"Why did you drink so much?" He tsked slightly as the car started to move. He leaned in to adjust her head, so that she now lay on his shoulder.

"Because… Well… I don't know. And what are you doing here? I thought Tamaki said you weren't coming." Finally, a coherent sentence.

"Because Tamaki is an idiot. And I didn't want anything to happen to you."

"Huh?"

A sigh.

"Why…" She wanted to ask him why he was upset but when she squinted and looked up at her, the intense oynx eyes boring at her made her forget.

"You're incredibly handsome."

"You make good conversation when you're drunk, Haruhi."

"Kiss me." She demanded. Where had that come from? She didn't know. Was it Dutch courage? She did no have the brain power to process anything anymore.

And before she could take that back, a pair of lips had come crashing down on hers.


	2. Chapter 1

**Expect the Unexpected: Chapter 1**

Haruhi opened her eyes slowly, the world around her still spinning somewhat. She let out a soft groan as she blinked back the harsh brightness of the room. Dull. White.

Where was she?

She forced herself to open her eyes and was mildly relieved to see that she was back in her own room. Ugh. She definitely overdid it last night. What happened?

Oh gosh. Oh no. She remembered seeing Kyouya. She remembered touching Kyouya. She remembered..

MAKING OUT WITH KYOUYA.

And right on cue, her handphone buzzed. She picked it up. 20 missed calls, half from Tamaki, the other half from the twins. 17 unread messages, all from Tamaki. Nothing from Kyouya. At all.

Wait. Shouldn't he at least text her something? Haruhi shook her head. Wait, so what if they kissed? Not like it meant anything, right?

Right. And she decided that she needed to sleep.

* * *

"Haruhi! Are you ok!" A shrill voice shot through her office phone and she cringed visibly.

"Tamaki, I am fine."

"Where did you go on Friday? We couldn't find you!"

"I called the twins already. I told them I was home."

"But who brought you back?" Boy, Tamaki was insistent.

"Tamaki, I have to go." And she hung up before he could ask anymore. She let out a sigh and slumped in her seat. She had not heard from Kyouya at all over the weekend, which made her feel a bit cheesed off to say the least. She shook her head and picked up her phone. There was one person who could help make things feel alright.

"Honey-sempai?"

* * *

It was a small, quaint café in the quiet Ebisu district where they usually met for their tea sessions. Honey was waiting at the table as he tucked into his slice of cake.

"Haru-chan!" He waved excitedly at her. She smiled and bent over to wipe off a bit of cream in the corner of his mouth.

"You really should learn to be less of a messy eater."

"Aww Haru-chan! You never mind!" He pouted a little. She smiled and ordered a long black. "So, what happened between you and Kyouya?"

Her eyes bugged out when he asked that question innocently, wondering how the hell he knew about it. He smiled at her.

"You must know that I woke up just in time to see you and Kyouya leaving together." She sagged against the plush seat.

"We kissed."

"Uh huh."

"Don't you find that shocking?"

"Nope. People do stupid things when they are drunk. And there's way too much sexual tension between Kyou-chan and you." He bit into his cake and frowned when he realised he was finishing it. Haruhi ordered another slice of strawberry and he brightened up. She let out a sigh.

"Ok. He didn't call me or text me at all."

"And you feel… cheated?"

"Well, I don't want to be seen like some slut who makes out with him and gets dumped like a hot potato!" She said crossly, somewhat mystified by her anger. She rarely lost her cool. Honey merely smiled.

"Haru-chan, that's because you've grown to have expectations of Kyouya after that kiss. You expect him to call you to ask if everything's ok because you expect him to treat you like someone special in his life after he made out with you."

It was as though a light bulb went off in Haruhi's mind.

"I like him."

"At least you're honest about it." Was all Honey could say.

* * *

It was Wednesday and he still had not called her or text her. She fingered her phone.

Oh damn it to hell. She was already 23 and damn her if she did not have the guts to text a guy something.

_Hey. Can we talk?_ She typed. She hesitated. She pressed the backspace button. Ok, again. _Hey. How are you? Shall we meet?_ Nope, sounded too desperate. _Kyouya, you are a bastard._ Nope … and suddenly, her handphone blinked. Kyouya's name appeared and she saw that it was a text.

She felt herself seize up in a mixture of fear and excitement. She read the message.

_Haruhi, I am sorry for not texting or calling after the incident. I've thought about it but I just don't want anything to happen to us anytime soon. It was too fast. Sorry. _

And in a very un-Haruhi like movemet, she threw her phone against the wall.

* * *

"I can't believe you're hung up over that fucking Ohtori!" Kaoru said indignantly and Haruhi shushed him immediately. It was Friday night and Haruhi had asked to meet the twin without Hikaru. Knowing Hikaru, he might have gone to pummel Kyouya if he knew what had happened.

"I don't know Kaoru. But it hurts somewhat when he put it that way."

"Maybe… you should just not have any expectations of him?" She looked at him, stirring her martini disinterestedly. He slapped his forehead.

"I mean, this IS Kyouya we're talking about. Major snake, huge-ass playboy and just generally devoid of feeling anything. You shouldn't expect anything good from this guy."

"But he said he would take care of me."

"Haruhi, when did you end up whining like a normal girl?"

"Because I am actually a female?" Haruhi sipped a bit of the martini. She needed something stronger.

"Oh Haruhi… you're actually growing up." And Kaoru hugged her tightly.

* * *

_Kyouya, thanks for the text. It's fine. Let's just stay the friends we are supposed to._

Kyouya let out a sigh and tossed his blackberry aside. Damn it.

* * *

Reviews please! I thought of portraying Haruhi as an actual female who isn't all zen that a lot of people expect her to be. :)


	3. Chapter 2

**Mind Games- Chapter 2**

It was a torrid week. It had been slightly more than a week since Haruhi had had any contact from Kyouya and while that was tearing her up inside, her workpile was something she was more worried about. Her productivity had absolutely plummeted and she was finding it difficult to get through documents as easily as she did. She let out a sigh as she pounded out the last of memo and closed the document.

A coffee. Yes, she needed one and she grabbed her purse and headed out to the nearest Starbucks.

* * *

"Welcome to Starbucks!" A voice greeted cheerily and Haruhi ordered the usual Americano, venti please. She rooted around her purse for change when a voice piped up behind her, "Let me get that." She whirled around to see Kasanoda smiling behind her.

"Hello. It's been a while, Kasanoda-san." Haruhi smiled gratefully as he handed over the change. "Thank you."

"It's great to see you Haruhi. Shall we sit down for a while?" She nodded and they took their cups of coffee and sat by the window in the plush seats.

"How have you been?" She asked, sipping her Americano. A sense of calmness washed over her. He smiled.

"I'm good. Still running the well, business. And you?"

"Very tired. Glad to hear you're doing fine. What are you doing in the area?"

"Well… I…" He scratched his head, the practiced smoothness no longer evident. He blushed slightly and Haruhi noticed for once how good-looking he actually was in short hair. The fiery red was no longer that blatant, giving off nice tinge under the sunlight. "I was hoping to run into you somewhat."

"You were stalking me?" She asked bluntly, and immediately backtracked. "I meant, you wanted to meet me? You could have always called me."

"I don't have your number. And I heard from Mori you were working here…"He trailed off, evidently embarrassed.

"Well... then…" She took out a pen from her purse (it was a habit) and grabbed his hand, scribbling it down. "Call me."

She got up with her takeaway cup, smiled at him and walked out of the shop.

* * *

"What the fuck did you do again?" Kaoru screamed as Haruhi tossed the salad. He was over at her place for dinner and Haruhi shared what had transpired in the afternoon. "OH MY GOSH HARUHI. You're really something!"

"Well, I feel a bit bad for using Kasanoda this way, but it felt good."

Kaoru snorted. "Too bad for Kyouya that his limo is too obvious, especially when parked in the cramped side road of your office building." Haruhi's laughter tinkled over the dreary cold of the evening as the two best friends settled for dinner.

* * *

Kyouya was very annoyed. He had planned to 'drop by' Haruhi's office and see what she was up to, when he saw her going into Starbucks. He had planned to follow her when he noticed a red-headed punk, correction, man heading in and frowned when he recognized that man.

And she just had to do the hand-grabbing, phone scribbling thing in front of him. How cliché. And how annoying. What was worse was that he had actually called her in the evening and arranged for a date.

And she had agreed! Ok, phone tapping may have been overstepping the boundary but really, he was concerned for her.

"Really? I doubt it from the way things look." A sharp voice pierced his thoughts and he turned to see Fuyumi glaring at him. She held a stack of papers. "Asking your underlings to tap Haruhi's phone and stalk her is not cool. At all."

"I am just protecting her."

"Well, it seems like you're way too interested in doing this. And I know you made out with her." Damn his chauffeur. His spies were all double-crossing agents! "Kyouya, why don't you just tell her you like her?"

"Not possible." He removed his tie and tossed it on the bed. "I don't do 'like'."

"You just do women." Fuyumi rolled her eyes. "And really, Kasanoda is by all definitions, sweet. You? A cold, heartless bastard."

"Get out."

"Kyouya, you are going to lose her at this rate. Keep it up and you'll lose the only woman you ever cared for."

"Out." He pushed Fuyumi out of the room, locking the door. He paused for a second and reached for his blackberry, punching the keys furiously.

_Can we meet? _And just as he was about to press send, he stopped. Kyouya Ohtori was not desperate. He smiled sinisterly. He was already going to hell, and damned if he did not bring Haruhi with him.

* * *

Haruhi settled into the table, looking around her. The restaurant was an old, traditional Japanese eating place and Kasanoda had certainly chosen well.

"Shall we order?" She asked as she looked at the menu. Kasanoda looked at her sheepishly.

"I took the liberty of pre-ordering." She looked up from the menu at him and smiled.

"You're very sweet." She said kindly, and he blushed. Just as she was about to continue, a familiar voice stopped her, making her hair stand on ends.

"What a pleasant surprise." Kasanoda's blush had disappeared, a hard look in place instead. She looked up to see the man who had been tormenting her in between her bouts of sleep. "Kasanoda, Haruhi." He said her name slowly, at least she thought he did.

"And may I enquire what you're doing here, Kyouya?"

"I am having dinner with a friend. I will not hold both of you up further. Have a pleasant dinner." He smiled his host smile and moved off quickly. Kasanoda relaxed as he watched the raven-haired man disappear and cleared his throat.

"Perhaps we could start on dinner?" He asked. Haruhi forced herself to smile.

"Sure."

* * *

Haruhi let out a huge sigh as she took off her shoes. She forced herself to make pleasant talk with Kasanoda, whom was trying very hard to give her a great date, but half her mind was focused on Kyouya. Heck , she had even made an excuse to visit the washroom in a bid to see where he was. Of course she didn't see him- he was probably in some private room with some hot model or something.

Yes he was trouble but why could the rational, logical and calm Haruhi Fujioka not stop thinking of him?

Damn him to hell.

She took out her phone and typed a message.

_Pleasant surprise to run into you earlier._

She sent it off and decided that a long and hot shower was in order.

_Yes. Did you enjoy dinner?_

She returned from shower to see his message. That was pretty quick. She thought for a short while and typed out a reply.

_Kasanoda makes for good company. How was your date?_

Her phone pinged.

_Good company. _

That was it? Two words? What? Ok, if he was going to play games, then she could play with him.

_Nice. I'm going to have coffee with him. Talk to you soon._

She smirked and switched off her phone.

* * *

Kyouya smirked as he sent off his one-liner consisting of a grand total of two words. How was that for mind fucking? He was not surprised when her reply came back quickly. His smirk turned into a frown.

COFFEE? WHAT? AT THIS LATE HOUR? Was she asking to be raped or something?

Oh screw this. He dialed her phone.

"The number you just dialed is not in use. Please try again later."

A fucking nightcap?

He threw his blackberry on the floor, not caring that the screen cracked upon impact.

* * *

Reviews are appreciated!


	4. Chapter 3

It's been a while. Work caught up and I lost some inspiration. Hopefully this will be enough to get me back into the groove of things. Enjoy.

**Screws are tightened- Chapter 3**

Haruhi found herself in yet another club with the Host club sans Kyouya. This time, the twins were celebrating Honey's birthday and took the great task of organising a birthday party upon themselves. She had initially resisted attending, dreading the thought of meeting Kyouya. Somehow, Karou had won her over, albeit in a very underhanded manner, she thought as she sipped on her long island tea.

"_For the last time Kaoru, no. I am already having lunch with Honey-sempai next week to celebrate his birthday. I don't need to celebrate with him again." Haruhi's fingers flew over the keyboard, pounding out the last words to a court submission due the following day. Kaoru sat languidly next to her computer. _

"_Oh come on Haruhi, you haven't been out in what? 5 years?"_

"_For the record, the last clubbing event was only 3 months back."_

"_3 months!" Kaoru gasped. "That's 90 days! TWO THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY HOURS. Doesn't that sound like a lifetime?" _

_She rolled her eyes. "Stop being such a drama queen. And do remember it did not end too well the last time."_

"_Kyouya kissed you."_

"_Yeah, that turned out really well didn't it?" She said sarcastically, although there was an edge of hurt to it. Kaoru must have noticed because his eyes softened. _

"_Haruhi, I'm sorry it didn't turn out too well. Just forget Kyouya and join us. It will be a fun night! Plus Tono has been dying to see you." She allowed herself a wry smile. Tamaki, in general, had been dying to see more of the host club ever since he got married to Éclair. Not that she was a bad wife, but she was a little strict with Tamaki, which Haruhi thought was not too bad an idea. _

_She nodded wearily. "Oh! Before I forget. Kyouya said he will be attending." Her eyes widened and before she could protest further, he winked at her and left her office. As though he had never been there in the first place. _

She had not heard from Kyouya ever since that last text exchange. Thank goodness her job allowed her little to no time to think and drive herself crazy the way most females would but in those short, blank spaces, there was only Kyouya.

Yep, she was undeniably female, contrary to popular belief. Her phone beeped and she took it out, the sudden glare from the screen blinding her momentarily.

_How's the party? _Oh, Kasanoda. He had been texting her these few weeks. The texts did not come every day, but were sent at short, blank spaces when she would have been thinking of Kyouya. A lifesaver indeed, although she questioned whether she was using him as a spare tyre. Meh. That thought, however, was a bit too much for Haruhi to handle at the moment, with the long island tea starting to cloud her vision.

She took a quick look at the noisy club and spotted the Host Club hogging the podium, being cheered on by the crowd. Even Mori had gotten into the action and was currently swinging Honey around. Show-offs.

_A bit too crazy_. _As usual. How did you know there was a party going on?_

The next text came quickly. She laughed when she saw the screenshot of Tamaki's status update "_FEELS GREAT TO NOT HAVE THE WIFE AROUND", _posted probably by the twins.

_Need me to save you from the party? _Her face reddened. She did not know quite know how to respond. Kasanoda was on all counts, a great guy. He was a gentleman despite his scary appearance, cultured, well-read and pretty good-looking. It was just that… she never thought of him in that light.

_Why not? _She replied and just then, an arm snaked around her waist suddenly and she gave a small yelp, nearly dropping her phone. "What on…Kyouya?" She sniffed. The distinct smell of alcohol was present- someone had been drinking a lot.

"You seem to be pretty busy on your end." He drawled. Haruhi thought she detected some annoyance through the velvety tones. Her heart started to race. The man she had been thinking of all those lonely nights was right next to her, his face so close to hers. "And who may you be texting?"

"None of your business and get your hand off me." She pried herself free from his grasp.

"You didn't say that the last time you were all over me."

"That is low, Kyouya."

"Say my name again."

"Fuck off." Haruhi sputtered and turned to leave. Kyouya grabbed her arm, his eyes narrowed and dark. She shuddered involuntarily and swallowed hard.

"You don't tell me to fuck off. Any guy, but me." And with that, he pulled her towards his body and crushed his lips upon hers. Haruhi resisted, her fists flailing but his grip was firm. The woody smell of his cologne overpowered her and her shoulders sagged. He took that opportune time to slip his tongue into hers, mixing the taste of whiskey with long island tea.

They parted eventually for air.

"You're an asshole." She spat out.

"You seem to have a problem resisting me." He said smoothly. "What do you really want from me, Haruhi?"

"What on earth are you talking about?" She staggered backward, flabbergasted. "You didn't text me after you made out with me, as though I was some floozie!"

"I am not ready for a relationship. What do you want me to do? Text you and say 'Hey that was great let's do it again.'"

Haruhi felt her heart pounding, alongside the music blasting from the speakers. She noticed Kaoru looking in her direction and saw him making his way slowly through the crowd towards her. "If so, then why are you still kissing me?"

"Because I like you. But I can't give you anything more than that."

"Oh for crying out loud Kyouya! There is something called 'responsibility'. If you aren't ready for anything, then don't go around giving people the wrong idea!"

"It was just a kiss! DAMN IT HARUHI. Stop making it so difficult for me! Kisses don't mean anything! Nor do holding hands! I am sorry but that's the way men think and it's time you got round to that. Stop being the fucking, naïve schoolgirl you were back in high school. Grow up." She bristled with anger. So, Kyouya Ootori was nothing more than a normal guy. True, a kiss didn't mean anything. But the fact that he said he liked her but didn't want to do anything about it simply meant…

"You're just so damn insecure. You are worried if you give your heart away, the girl will break it and trample it to pieces. For goodness' sake Kyouya! That's a LAME EXCUSE."

"Hey guys, woah chill man. There are enough daggers glaring around here." Kaoru had reached them by then but it was too late. Kyouya cocked his head to one side, his eyes glinting with anger.

"You're crazy, Haruhi."

"I'll admit it once. I was crazy about you Kyouya Ootori. But not anymore. Screw off." She turned to leave, grabbing her purse. "Kaoru, leave me alone!" She yelled at the twin and stomped off.

Kaoru turned to look at Kyouya, who was downing the rest of Haruhi's untouched tea. "Kyouya, what the FUCK do you think you're doing."

"Delivering the hard truth."

"You're crazy ABOUT HER. You stalk her, you tap her phone lines, you read all her emails. Heck, you care for her more than you admit!" Kyouya spat into his tea. Damn Fuyumi, he knew his sister was one to go around talking about her younger brother's seeming inability to commit.

"Okay, you know what? If you don't give a shit about her, it's fine. Someone else would. And that someone is called Kasanoda. He's on his way over now, FYI. He text me to ask where she is." Before Kaoru could react, Kyouya was out of his seat.

He smirked. Things were about to get interesting, but first, he had to save the rest of the Host Club from the podium.

* * *

Kyouya was furious. No girl had ever insulted him to his face, nor told him to fuck off. They all begged him to fuck them instead! Fuck off! Was she insane? She should be grateful he had even BOTHERED to stalk her.

But he just could not comprehend why the way she responded to his kisses was so intoxicating. He needed more of it, to the point he wanted it only for himself. And that lay the inherent contradiction- Kyouya Ootori did not just fall for ONE woman like that. He had gotten himself drunk before entering the club so that he would hopefully be wasted enough to not do anything.

Instead, he saw her at the bar looking bored, alone and oh-so vulnerable. So, he took his chances.

And look where that landed him. A half-ass confession, a gut-spilling admittance to his commitment-phobic ways, and an outright reprimand from the only female he truly cared for. Oh screw this shit, Kyouya Ootori did not do soap operas.

He stumbled slightly backwards as the chilly autumn wind slapped his face at the entrance of the club. He squinted, looking for a sign of the auburn-haired woman who had caused him much grief. In the distance, he saw her and wait, was that a red Ferrari pulling up alongside her?

The driver of the Ferrari jumped out and hurried towards her. A cold, tight fist clamped over Kyouya's (supposedly) non-existent heart as he saw the driver place an arm around Haruhi's shoulders, ushering her into the car. She bent and slid into the passenger seat.

The driver closed the door and turned to walk over to his seat. Kyouya tried to step back into the shadows of the club but it was too late. The damned red-haired one had spotted him. His hands fisted as Ritsu Kasanoda smiled, and flashed a small V-sign at him.

* * *

Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	5. Chapter 4

****This was in my PC for a while. To chapter 3 and hopefully, finishing the story. Reviews are appreciated.

**Because Alcohol Kills Brain Cells**

Haruhi looked sullenly out of the window, unaware that the silence was growing uncomfortable in the Ferrari. It was not until the driver cleared his throat that she was jolted to her senses. She turned and smiled sheepishly at him.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you, Kasanoda-san."

"It's ok." He smiled gently. Gah, why couldn't she like normal guys like him? A guy who treated a girl properly, and _with respect_, unlike a certain raven-haired ass hole. "Do you want me to take you home or head somewhere else?"

"Let's just go somewhere else. I need to let off some steam." A small frown tugged at her lips and he noticed.

"I know just the right place for that." He stepped on the accelerator and off they went.

* * *

Kyouya batted away a girl's hand. He was seated in the Host Club's private booth but it seemed it was anything but private, especially in a night club. Girls just kept coming forward and honestly, he was getting tired of telling the 123679th girl that he was NOT up for a fuck.

"The great and mighty Shadow King, fallen…" A voice trailed off and his eyes narrowed. A hand draped across his shoulder and he came face to face with one half of the notorious twins—Kaoru. Unlike his brother, Kaoru's self-restraint was impeccable and his level of awareness remarkably keen, almost rival to Kyouya's. Of course his devilishness was no match for the Shadow King but he was nonetheless, capable. It was no wonder that Haruhi kept him close, very close indeed.

Kyouya drained the last of his whiskey. "I see you have not been drinking much Kaoru?" Hikaru was grinding some chick and Tamaki was nowhere to be found. Kaoru ran a hand through his golden specks-flecked hair. Nice touch.

"Nah, having a hangover kills brain cells. I sent Tono on the cab home and Mori-sempai took Hunny-sempai home."

"Time for me to leave then." Kyouya got up to leave.

"Wait." Kaoru was on his feet in no time, his arm outstretched against Kyouya's chest. The lazy demanour slipped off easily. "What the fuck is going on with you and Haruhi?"

"It's none of your business."

"It isn't but Haruhi is my friend. And my friend's business becomes my business. Now Kyouya, stop screwing around with her and just admit it." The arm was still there.

"Admit to what?" He asked wearily, the full brunt of the alcohol hitting him.

"You like her."

"Didn't you just mention that alcohol kills brain cells?"

"Oh. So your kissing Haruhi was because you lost a few brain cells to alcohol? That's a pretty weak excuse." Kaoru's eyes darkened and Kyouya swore he could see some dark clouds gathering behind the twin.

"Fine. I do harbor feelings for her but so what? She has gone with that red-haired asshole, who probably has fewer brain cells than me anyway but probably has more of a heart than me. Who is she going to choose? Go figure."

Kaoru stared at him in amazement, and if Kyouya hadn't noticed, mouth slightly open. "Oh close that mouth of yours. That's the first and last time I am saying anything about her, anymore." He started to get slightly annoyed when Kaoru recovered and started laughing.

"My my Kyouya…" He chuckled again. "I never thought I would see the day where the Shadow King is actually _insecure_. You think that some other dude will eventually figure out how to show Haruhi _his_ true feelings, which is something you have proven grossly incapable of. _That's_ what bothers you."

Kyouya clutched his head. The music and whiskey were finally getting to him. Oh, and maybe a dash of jealousy plus insecurity for good measure. Kaoru merely shook his head.

"Come, I'll take you home."

* * *

"This is a very nice place." Haruhi remarked as she got out of the car. After 45 minutes of driving, of which she had fallen asleep on him, they had reached a vast plain. She never knew such a place so near to Tokyo existed.

_Such beauty in the midst of the noise_.

She glanced at him and could not help but marvel at how far he had come. He always had chiseled features which gave him the air of masculinity none of the Host Club members possessed—a real man. Not say that the rest were not real men, but they did like to bring out their feminine side at times.

"Like what you see?" She shook her head. Had she been staring at him that long? He chuckled and pointed towards the distance. Damn, so he had noticed.

"How did you find it?" She asked, hoping to distract him from her obvious staring.

"I was feeling down once and drove on. Eventually I stumbled on this place and waited till sunrise." At that, she glanced at her watch.

"Oh! It's nearly sunrise." The first gleams of a new dawn streaked across the sky slowly. She yawned. "Maybe it's time to head…" Her sentence was cut off as he came closer.

"Haruhi, I've liked you for a long time." Kasanoda said quietly. Her eyes widened, surprised at the unforeseen confession. Sure, she knew that Kasanoda had a crush on her since high school but she never expected him to be so… honest. "I know you may not feel the same, but I am willing to let go of my pride to ask you to give me a chance." He leaned forward, and put his hand on her cheek.

And very gently, he cupped her face upwards and kissed her.

* * *

It was a pretty uncertain kiss, if Haruhi had to use a word to describe it. Sure, the wave of heat had washed over her as she realized that a very attractive man was planting his lips on her but why was it so that the images of her kissing a certain Ootori flooded her brain instead?

Stupid brain. Of course she was uncertain then—should she think of Kyouya, or concentrate on Kasanoda? Before she could answer, it was over too soon. She blinked as he smiled, an uncertain smile at that.

"I am sorry if I disrespected you…" She held up her hand to stop his sentence in mid air.

"No, I didn't mind it at all…" Kasanoda grimaced slightly at her bluntness, bracing himself for her rejection…

Which never came. Instead, he found her smiling somewhat at him. Haruhi took a deep breath, wondering if her next words were going to ruin this uncertain, yet strangely comforting situation which had descended upon her. If she regretted anything after today, she would blame it on the alcohol. But for now, she was tired of thinking of Kyouya. Tired of the games, and more importantly, tired of _his excuses_.

"Kiss me again."

And he did.


End file.
